Phan Rang and Vinh Hy Bay: Cham towers, pottery and the dry coast

Where to base yourself: town, beach or bay

Phan Rang is less a sight than a hub. The Cham towers, the craft villages, the vineyards and the coast lie in different directions from it, so where you sleep decides how much driving you do each day. Think of the trip as two halves: the Cham heritage to the west and south of town, and the coast and national park to the north-east.

For the Cham half, stay at Ninh Chu beach, on Phan Rang's coast, or in Phan Rang itself. Ninh Chu is the focus of the area's beach tourism: when the Prime Minister approved the master plan for the Ninh Chu National Tourist Area on 4 March 2026, the Binh Son–Ninh Chu beach was named its central zone. From here Po Klong Garai, Bau Truc and My Nghiep are short drives; the national tourism site puts Bau Truc 15 minutes from the city by car.

For the coast half, stay at Vinh Hy Bay, the fishing harbour tucked between hills on the coast road towards Cam Ranh. The local authorities count 31 places to stay in Vinh Hai commune, from homestays to high-end resorts such as Amanoi and Vinh Hy Resort, and they say more than 60 percent of the commune's visitors go to Vinh Hy. Staying there puts you at the boats and the Nui Chua trails early, before day trippers arrive from Nha Trang or Phan Rang. If you have three nights, split them: one or two near town, then one at the bay.

Po Klong Garai, and why Phan Rang's towers are still alive

Po Klong Garai stands on Doi Trau hill in Do Vinh ward, about 7 km west of central Phan Rang. Vietnam's tourism authority describes three surviving towers inside an enclosing wall: the main tower, which houses a statue of King Po Klong Garai, the gate tower to the east, and the fire tower to the south with its boat-shaped roof. The province's account says the complex was built by King Jaya Simhavarman III to honour Po Klong Garai, a king remembered for defending the Cham and building canals and dams, and dates it to the late 13th or early 14th century. Look for the carving of Shiva and the sacred bull Nandin. It was made a special national monument in 2016.

Climb the hill early. The national tourism site describes rocky ground dotted with cacti and the arid landscape spread out below, and by late morning there is little shade on the slope. Po Klong Garai is the only one of the area's three main Cham monuments with organised visitor services and an entrance fee: a provincial report carried by the national tourism authority counted more than 230,000 paying visitors between January and late October 2025. We could not find the current ticket price or opening hours on an official page, so check them on arrival. The same report says climbing, sitting on or writing on the towers should be strictly dealt with, so keep to the paths.

Two more towers complete the picture, though neither is set up for tourists. Po Rome, in Phuoc Huu commune, is described as the last brick tower the Cham built, in the 17th century, for King Po Rome, who ruled from 1627 to 1651. Only the main tower, a stone stele and a small shrine survive; the tower, about 16.5 metres high with a single east-facing door, holds a carved stone statue of the king that is a national treasure, and the Cham community still performs rituals here. Hoa Lai, in Thuan Bac commune, is far older, from around the 8th to 9th century, and was a sanctuary to Shiva and Vishnu; of its three towers the middle one collapsed in the early 20th century, and few people visit. Go to Po Rome with respect for anyone worshipping, and expect no facilities at either.

The best reason to time a visit is Kate, the most important festival of the Cham who follow the Brahmanist tradition. According to Vietnam's tourism authority, it is held on the last day of the sixth month and the first day of the seventh month of the Cham calendar, which usually falls in September or October, at Po Klong Garai, Po Rome and the Po Inu Nagar temple. On the day before, Cham and Raglai people gather at the Po Nugar temple and Po Rome to join a procession for the goddess Po Inu Nagar, the Holy Mother of the Cham; elders bathe and change the clothes of her statue, young people sing and dance, and families visit each other over the following days. In 2024 it took place on 1 and 2 October. When we checked on 2026-10-03, the national tourism site's events calendar listed the Kate Festival under October 2026 without exact days, so confirm the date locally before you travel.

The Cham craft villages: Bau Truc and My Nghiep

Bau Truc, about 10 km south of Phan Rang in what is now Ninh Phuoc commune, is the village behind UNESCO's 2022 listing of the art of pottery-making of the Cham people as intangible heritage in need of urgent safeguarding. The national tourism site says more than 500 families live here and 85 percent of them work in pottery, and that it is one of the oldest pottery villages in Southeast Asia. The craft is traced to Po Klong Chan, honoured as its founder.

What makes it worth watching is the method. There is no potter's wheel: the clay, dug from the banks of the Quao River, sits on a fixed stand, and the potter walks backwards around it, shaping with her hands, then marks patterns with bamboo rings and shells. The pots are fired in the open air among firewood, straw and rice husks rather than in a kiln — the tourism authority gives about six hours at 500–600°C, a coat of colour, then about two hours more. That is why no two pieces are quite alike.

Visitors can try shaping a piece themselves: artisans help you choose and knead the clay and form whatever you like, and the tourism authority's feature suggests even an hour at it is memorable. The Bau Truc Cham Pottery Cooperative told the provincial newspaper that it receives around 1,000 visitors a day at peak times, so come early or late in the day if you want to watch potters at work rather than tour groups. Water jars are the classic buy: the national tourism site says they keep water about one degree cooler than the air outside.

Close by is My Nghiep, the Cham brocade-weaving village, which the tourism authority describes as keeping the look of an old Cham craft village; visitors can watch the weavers and try weaving themselves. Combine the two villages with Po Klong Garai in one day and you have seen the three sides of Cham heritage the province promotes: the towers, the pots and the cloth.

The coast road north: vineyards, Vinh Hy Bay and Hang Rai

The national tourism site singles out the coast road from Phan Rang north through Vinh Hy towards Cam Ranh as one of the region's great drives, past beaches, white salt fields, sheep pastures and vineyards, with part of the Nui Chua Biosphere Reserve along the way. Do it slowly, with stops, rather than as a transfer.

Grapes are the surprise. Vietnam's tourism authority calls the old Ninh Thuan the country's largest grape producer, with green, red and black grapes grown here. Thai An in Vinh Hai commune, one of the largest vineyard areas, is a cluster of family plots, each fenced and signposted, with tables where you can taste fruit and wine and buy raisins and grape syrups. Closer to town, the Ba Moi vineyard of Nguyen Van Ba in Hiep Hoa hamlet, about 7 km from Phan Rang, is open to visitors and lets them help sort grapes at harvest time.

Vinh Hy Bay is the centrepiece: a sheltered bay of clear water and fishing boats, wrapped by hills and rock, next to Nui Chua National Park. The local authorities describe glass-bottom boats to look at the coral, snorkelling and diving, and trips out with fishermen; choose a boat with life jackets and a clear route, and do not touch or stand on the coral.

Further along the park's coast, Hang Rai is a huge ancient coral reef at the water's edge, covered in green moss, and a habitat for otters, as the national tourism site explains. It has no tourist services, so bring water and sun protection. My Hoa beach, also in Vinh Hai commune, hosted the province's first international kitesurfing tournament in January 2026.

Nui Chua National Park, the dunes and the sheep

Nui Chua is the reason the coast looks as it does. UNESCO's description of the biosphere reserve speaks of tropical dry forest and semi-desert landscapes meeting the sea, with coral reefs of more than 300 reef-forming species, seagrass beds and beaches where sea turtles nest every year. It is home to rare animals such as the black-shanked douc langur, and to Kinh, Cham, Raglai and other communities.

Walking is the way in. The national tourism site describes a popular three-day trek from Hang Da hamlet to the O Liem River, with camping in the forest and a chance to learn about the wet-rice farming of the Raglai, and tells hikers to register in advance with the park's management board. UNESCO adds a community ecotourism project in Cau Gay village, where Raglai families offer handicrafts, Ma la dance and guided walks. Operators at Vinh Hy also sell treks along the coast in the park's core zone; in this heat, go with a guide and carry plenty of water.

Two other classic stops are about light. The Nam Cuong sand dunes change colour with the sun and cloud, and the national tourism site recommends 5 to 7 in the morning, when the sand glows gold. At the An Hoa sheep farm, shepherds — many of them Cham — take the flocks out to the hills around 8 a.m., the best time to see them. Both reward an early start, which suits this climate anyway.

Getting there and getting around

The nearest airport is Cam Ranh International (CXR), which the national tourism site puts nearly 70 km from Phan Rang; Vinh Hy lies on the coast road between the two, so it makes a natural first or last night. Local tour companies run cars on the Cam Ranh–Vinh Hy–Ninh Chu route; otherwise book a taxi or a car with driver in advance.

By train, get off at Thap Cham station. By road, Phan Rang is on the national highway between Nha Trang to the north and the Mui Ne coast to the south, and the national tourism site puts it 340 km from Ho Chi Minh City.

For sightseeing you need your own wheels, because the heritage sights and the coast road are spread out. A car with driver for a day is the comfortable choice in the heat; agree the stops (towers, villages, vineyard, bay) and the waiting time before you set off.